MATRIX COLLAGEN TYPE AND PORE-SIZE INFLUENCE BEHAVIOR OF SEEDED CANINE CHONDROCYTES

This study directly compared the behaviour of chondrocytes in porous m atrices comprising different collagen types and different pore diamete rs. There was a dramatic difference in the morphology of the cells in the type I and type II collagen matrices. The cells in the type II col lagen matrix retained their chondrocytic morphology and synthesized gl ycosaminoglycans, while in the type I matrix the chondrocytes displaye d a fibroblastic morphology with less biosynthetic activity than those in the type It. Small pore diameter affected morphology initially in the type I matrices and showed a higher increase of DNA content, but w ith time the cells lost the chondrocytic morphology. Our results demon strate the marked influence of collagen type and pore characteristics on the phenotypic expression of seeded chondrocytes. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Limited.